Dwayne Bravo is that creature long needed by West Indies, an allrounder with plenty of flair and skill both as a batsman and seam bowler. Unfortunately for West Indies, they haven't been able to utilise his services as often as they probably would have liked to: till the end of 2013, more than nine years since his Test debut, he had played only 40 out of West Indies' 81 Tests in the same period. Prioritising IPL over international cricket has led to differences with the board, while injuries have also limited his Test appearances, but as a limited-overs player Bravo remains a key member for West Indies and took over from Darren Sammy as ODI captain in 2013. He held the post till December 2014, when the selectors replaced him with Jason Holder and left him out of the ODI side, two months after he had played a central role in the team pulling out mid-way from a tour to India due to issues with the payment structure in their revised contracts.

As a player, Bravo's skills and self-confidence at the big stage were never in doubt right from the early days in his international career. He made his Test debut at Lord's in July 2004, and took three wickets in the first innings with his medium-paced swingers. He also showed a cool enough temperament to forge a confident start at the crease with the bat. By the end of the series, it was clear that Bravo was a special talent. He scored plenty of runs and claimed a bunch of wickets in four Tests, but nowhere was his ability more evident than in Manchester, where he top-scored for the team, and then restricted England with a six-wicket haul. He hit 107 against South Africa in April 2004-05 at Antigua to bring up his maiden century and in November 2005, scored a magnificent 113 against Australia at Hobart. He dazzled in the ODI series against India in May 2006, bamboozling the batsmen with his slower ones and chipping in with match-winning contributions with the bat. He grew as a player in the limited-overs format in the 2006-07 season with a fluent unbeaten 112, his maiden ODI ton, against England in the Champions Trophy and achieved his best career figures, 4 for 39, against India in the last game before the World Cup. He was often a rare glimmer of joy among some depressing moments until an ankle injury struck in 2008 and ruled him out for eight months.

Around that time, his value as a Twenty20 player came into focus, and with several such leagues coming - most prominently the IPL - Bravo chose those commitments over the West Indians ones. In 2010, he, along with Kieron Pollard, turned down a WICB central contract which would require him to be available to play for West Indies at all times. Next year, he chose the IPL over a two-Test home series against Pakistan. Between 2011 and 2013, West Indies played 24 Tests but Bravo didn't play any of them.

On the other hand, he became a fixture in the Chennai Super Kings line-up in the IPLs: in the 2013 season, he led the wickets tally with 32. He came back to play for West Indies in the limited-overs games, but the feeling persisted that West Indies were severely under-utilising his talents.Vaneisa Baksh and ESPNcricinfo staff

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Timeline

April 18, 2004 A low-key beginning

Dwayne Bravo's first international appearance doesn't draw much attention: he takes two wickets in the truncated ODI against England in Georgetown, but finishes on the losing side.

May 2, 2004 Early success with the bat

Bravo's batting skills are first put on show in St Lucia in the ODI series against England; he makes a mature, unbeaten 33 to guide West Indies to a four-wicket win while chasing 282 and hand them the series.

July 22-26, 2004 Strong first in Tests

He makes his Test debut at Lord's, and though the match ends in a disappointment for West Indies, Bravo makes a strong all-round impression. He grabs 3 for 74 in the first innings and scores a patient 44.

Bravo lives up to his promise in the third Test against England in Manchester, scoring his first Test half-century and grabbing 6 for 55 in the first innings to hand his team a lead. The game, however, ends in defeat for West Indies.

May 3, 2005 Ton-up Bravo

Bravo finishes off the series against South Africa on a high after scoring his maiden Test century in a dead rubber in Antigua. However, he doesn't do much with the ball and misses the bus for the first Test against Australia.

November 2005 Bravo cements his place

A career-defining tour of Australia follows after he is picked for the second and third Tests. Bravo establishes himself as genuine allrounder and restores his reputation as a long-term prospect with 214 runs in two Tests at 53.50 and eight wickets 25.12. He scores his second Test century, 113 in Hobart, and follows that up with 6 for 84 and 64 in Adelaide.

He proves his worth as a death bowler with his sly variations in pace. In Kingston, he helps West Indies draw level in a series against India which they eventually go on to win. Figures of 3.4-0-29-1 may not make good reading, but the one wicket he takes is all that matters. He bowls a rampaging Yuvraj Singh with a slower one to clinch a thrilling one-run win. It also ends India's record run of wins while chasing.

June 17, 2006 County calling

Bravo's growing reputation fetches him a deal with Kent, and he represents the county in the English domestic season that year.

October 20, 2006 Contracts row

Bravo, who was initially not included in the list of contracted players by the West Indies Cricket Board, is reinstated after pressure from the ICC and FICA, the international players' association. Bravo was not offered a retainer contract because of his deal with bMobile, a direct competitor of Digicel, the board's official sponsor.

A century in a losing cause. Bravo makes an unbeaten 112, striking 14 fours and a six in West Indies' score of 272 in a Champions Trophy match in Ahmedabad, but England prove too good in their chase.

May-June, 2007 Return to England

Bravo returns to his place of debut, England, and impresses with the bat, scoring 291 runs at 41.57 which includes two half-centuries. The series, though, again ends in disappointment for West Indies.

November 2007 Leadership beckons

He is appointed vice-captain for the ODI series against Zimbabwe, and takes over temporarily as captain during the ODI series against South Africa, which ends in defeat for West Indies, after Chris Gayle returns home due to an injured thumb.

He signs with Mumbai Indians for the inaugural edition of the IPL, though the amount is not disclosed. He replaces an injured Lasith Malinga, and plays nine games, averaging 29.66 with the bat and grabs 11 wickets at 21.09.

August 2008 Injury worries

Bravo undergoes ankle surgery and takes time to recover. He misses the Stanford Super Series and the home series against England, and makes a return to international cricket almost seven months later, in March 2009.

April 7, 2009 Ok for IPL but not Tests

Following his return from injury, Bravo is deemed unfit for the Test series against England in England. But he opts, instead, to participate in the second season of the IPL held in South Africa. He plays 11 games in the tournament for Mumbai Indians, scoring 218 runs at 27.25 with two half-centuries. He also takes 11 wickets at 23.54.

Bravo's match-winning effort against India in the World Twenty20 is a step towards knocking the defending champions out of the competition. He grabs 4 for 38 to keep India down to 153, and follows that up with an unbeaten 66, off just 36 balls, to steer his team to a seven-wicket win. West Indies, however, are beaten in the semi-final. He ends the tournament as West Indies' second-highest scorer with 154 at 38.50, and takes 10 wickets at 18.40.

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